Teddy Lupin and The Silver Kitsune
by lalchan
Summary: Teddy Lupin needs a familiar. Guess who he finds?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Harry Potter

Chapter One:To Be Free

The great Youko Kurama, king of theives, renowned demon of the Makai, and former member of the Reikai Tantei, was in a very embarrassing situation.

He was stuck. In a cage. In an insane Ningen shop.

Actually, he wan't even sure if the shop was run by humans or not (everything smelled strange, and there were odd strings of reiki all over the place so that when he sniffed too hard he would begin to sneeze violently). There were all sorts of strange and rare creatures in the store besides him, and really, what kind of human pet shop owner would even think about putting a silver fox with four tails on display?.

Anyway, he had been stuck in the cage for almost a week. If the cage had not been covered in wards, and if it had been big enough for him to transform into his more powerful and dexterous youko(or even human) form, he was sure he would have been out by now.

Unfortunately, this was not the case, so instead, he found himself crouching in the back corner, avoiding the gazes of small, rather obnoxious looking children as they looked for 'familiars.'

He was sure he had heard the word used that way before . . .

Ah, yes, mages called their animal assistants that, didn't they.

How strange, perhaps this was some sort of magical shop? Kurama had heard that some humans could use their reiki in such ways, but of course, he had never seen it first hand. He had always preferred the islands of Japan when visiting Ningenkai. Inari was more powerful there.

"Wow, I've never seen anyone like you before."

The awed voice, as well as the words(any_one_ instead of any_thing_), caused Kurama to look up sharply.

There was an older boy there, probably around thirteen. He had rather plain features, except for his hair, which was, at first glance, bright pink, although it was currently fading to a dark black.

Kurama did a double take at the boy's hair. What in the name of Inari was that about?

Then the boy frowned.

"The tag says you're a kitsune ... I've read about you in some of Aunt Hermione's books. They aren't supposed to be caged like this."

Kurama snorted sarcastically.

_Of course we're not supposed to, idiot. No animal is._

The boy bit his lip and looked over to this left.

"Teddy, have you found a good pet?" Came a man's voice.

"Uhm, yeah, I think I have." The boy, Teddy, said.

_Well. This will make escaping much easier._ The kitsune thought to himself.

The two humans called the shop owner over, who unlocked the cage and let Kurama out after an exchange of coin had taken place. He was tempted to just bolt right there, but he knew from years of experience that patience was always best, and that making his escape later would be better than trying now, with so many humans present, especially since he was a bit weakened from his week long stay in the cage.

They boy and adult made their way out of the shop, the boy mentioning something about 'Madam Malkin's,' after which he separated from his elder.

The boy headed to a shop, but instead of going in, he stopped just outside the store, then walked over to the side alley.

Teddy set him down and gave him a serious look.

"Okay, so, I know you probably don't want to stick around. That book I was reading said that Youkai don't really like being around humans. So. Just, I don't know, you can go I guess." The rather awkward pronouncement ended in the boy looking rather sheepish, while his hair and cheeks flushed a matching red.

Kurama stared at him.

The boy was letting him go?

How . . . Strange.

Kurama perked up his ears, and looked over the boy, then stepped closer and sniffed.

He smelled normal enough. There was the faint scent of lilies and . . . was that wolf? There was also a strong reiki aftertaste to him.

Kurama sneezed at the strength of it.

This boy was very fascinating indeed. His hair changed according to his emotions, he had found a magical fox, and instead of trying to use him as a 'familiar,' the boy was letting him go away.

Not to mention the boys 'Aunt Hermione' had a book on Youkai.

Kurama had no reason to remain in the Ningenkai. After Shiori's death, he had left quickly, unwilling to linger in the realm that he would now forever associate with her. But now . . This human fascinated him. He had no pressing matters to attend to. As a reformed thief, he now lead a rather boring life that was only interrupted by the occasional tournament, as well as the almost-apocalypse missions that he and the former Reikai Tantei members were called on to stop as favors for Koenma.

Perhaps . . . Staying for a bit would be interesting.

Shaking out his fur in the attempt to rid himself of the last of the pet shop stench, he leaped upward, landing gracefully on the human's mood ring like hair, which promptly turned a surprised blue.

"You want to stay?" His human asked, sounding completely baffled.

Kurama purred out a yes, then settled into the position that was rather reminiscent of Puu's.

"Uhm, well, okay. . . I have to get my robes adjusted in this shop then." The boy stood as his hair faded to a natural brown color that Kurama thought suited the boy quite well, and headed into the shop. The woman greeted the boy with a nod, eyeing Kurama only a minute, before turning her attention back to another human child who looked as if he was being assaulted by a floating tape measurer.

After the human cub had handed off some black garments, and the woman had measured his legs, and said his 'robes' would be ready in an hour, they headed out of the shop and off down the street.

As it turned out, they were going to an ice cream shop of some kind, and his boy immediately gravitated towards a large gathering made up of about red heads, and half brunettes.

_Their red hair is brighter than my human form's._ The youko thought with a bit of amusement.

There were four adults: two with red hair, the other two(one of which was the adult Kurama recognized from earlier) were both brunettes.

Along with the adults were four children.

Kurama noted with amusement that his boy's now black hair took on a faintly reddish tinge as they approached.

"Teddy!" Came a loud cry from one of the small girls. She rushed forward and gave him a very tight hug, then looked up at Kurama in sudden interest.

"Your new puppy is on your head!" She said in a very excited voice.

Kurama sniffed. It wouldn't do to be mistaken for a common dog- and jumped down to land beside the girl. He flicked his tails proudly and held up his head in a commanding manner- the girl gasped.

"He's got-" she frowned and started pulling at fingers.

"Daddy!" She began, turning to the red headed man. "He's got four tails!"

"Yes, Rosie, I can see that."

The brunette woman suddenly frowned and gave Teddy's adult a look.

"Harry! That's a kitsune! You let Teddy get a kitsune? You said he got a silver dog!"

The man shrugged sheepishly.

"Uh, it looked like a dog when I saw it, sorry 'Mione. But why is it such a big deal? If it was dangerous I doubt they would be selling them to students."

"Harry! Kitsune are a type of Youkai! I've told you this before! Remember? Every tail represents a thousand years, they can sometimes turn into human, and they like to trick people and play games! We can't-"

"Aunt Hermione!" Finally, his boy was speaking in his defense. "You're the one whose always protesting for magical creatures, and he's harmless! He hasn't done anything wrong so far, I don't see why you're so worried! It's probably all just myth."

Kurama gave the adults an amused look as they all eyed him suspiciously, before turning, flicking his tails, and easily jumping onto Teddy's shoulder. The position was a bit less comfortable than the head, but he decided this would do for now.

After the little disagreement, the conversation turned to school- somewhere called 'Hogwarts,' a rather strange name, but humans were strange creatures- and the humans all got ice cream, and sat at a table.

Teddy occasionally offered Kurama bites, which the fox licked hungrily. The food at the pet shop had been horrible, and the mint flavor that Teddy had gotten tasted natural and 'planty,' which he liked.

After the little meeting, the humans split up. 'Harry' and the red headed woman, along with the two non red headed children parted with the rest, leaving through the strange brick wall, and then entering some sort of pub.

The group centered around the fireplace, all grabbing handfuls of green powder.

Teddy stepped forward.

"Hold on tight." He said, then threw his powder into the fire. It promptly turned a brilliant shade of green.

Kurama yelped as the boy suddenly _stepped_ into the fire and said something. There was a dizzying swirl of color, then the pair stumbled out of the fireplace.

Kurama immediately dropped to the ground, gasping for breath, and trying his best not to vomit the ice cream he had just eaten.

_What in the four realms _was _that?!_ He thought.

When he had finally gotten his wind back, he managed to give his new owner a glare, only to notice that they were no longer in the pub.

Kurama immediately began to look around. Apparently, the fireplace had been some sort of portal, but instead of leading to another world, it lead to another place in the Ningenkai. How strange. He hadn't known humans could do that sort of thing.

After sniffing around, with Teddy following him curiously, Kurama realized that this must be where Teddy was getting the lily scent from. The open window in the kitchen showed a great number of them peaking out from a window box.

He immediately jumped onto the counter(ignoring a distant scolding from the woman to Teddy about 'no pets in the kitchen'), and climbed out the window and into the box.

The lilies perked up considerably, and he gently nudged them into a brighter bloom, while examining the street.

The sign to the left read 'Grimauld Place,' but he didn't recognize the name. Not that he had expected to. From the language and accents, he was obviously in England, and since he had only been in England, and that was a couple thousand years ago, he doubted he would recognize anything.

After examining the street, he pawed at the fur behind his ear to release a seed, and quickly dropped it into the window box, letting a protective vine grow out and into the brick wall, making sure that it was barely visible. I would alert him to any yoki approaching the house, and would be able to stop the smaller threats, like makai insects and such.

Satisfied with the window's new defenses, he jumped back inside, and went to examine any other windows and doors that need protection. So maybe he was being a bit paranoid, but after a few thousand years, the Youko had learned his lesson well. Better to be paranoid and prepared, than lazy and dead- or seriously injured.

After his examination, he followed the slightly wolfish scent that was his boy's up to a room.

There was a large trunk lying on the floor, open, and his human was currently stuffing books into it, and only partly succeeding.

Kurama gave him a questioning look, and the boy grinned.

"I'm just packing up for school. Harry said he would take me to the station this year while my grandmum is at some sort of House Elf rights conference with Aunt Hermione."

He smirked.

"Harry only got out of it because he offered to take everyone to the platform."

The kitsune frowned and gave a confused huff. Grandmother? Harry? Where were the boy's parents?

Teddy, apparently, understood the questioning look, and sighed, his hair going from bright brown, to a sad mousy color.

"My mum and dad died during the second wizarding war. My grandmum takes care of me usually, but Harry's my godfather, and he has me over a lot- along with the Weaselys."

The boy had lost both his parents?

Kurama looked at the boy for a moment, unsure of what to do. Something comforting . . .

He walked forward, and stood on his hind legs, letting his front paws rest on the boys chest, and began to lick the boys face. It was a rather dog-like mannerism, but, well, kitsune _were_ canines, and dogs always seemed to be rather good at comforting humans.

His licking brought about a rather unexpected reaction, however. Teddy _hugged_ him. Kurama couldn't remember being hugged by anyone except Shiori, and even she had only done it on the rarest occasions. It was so strange . . . but it felt . . . nice. The slightly wolfish scent was familiar to the kitsune- wolves were canines too, after all- and Kurama let his head rest on the boys shoulder, wondering idly where he had gotten it from.

The boy soon broke the embrace, and went back to packing. Kurama sat to the side as the boy talked to him as if he was just a normal person, telling the fox about his school friends and classes.

Kurama thought Potions and Herbology sounded interesting, but he mostly ignored the rest.

After a while, there was the woman's voice, calling out that it was time to eat, and the boy hastily made his way downstairs.

Kurama eyed the 'Harry' that was Teddy's godfather as he ate from the plate the woman had set for him on the floor near the table.

The man seemed very kind, and rather affectionate to Teddy. That was good. In fact, the boy was treated the same as the children he assumed were the man's own.

"So, Teddy, have you decided on a name?" The woman asked pleasantly after a small break in the conversation.

Teddy paused, then glanced over at Kurama sheepishly.

"Uh, not really. I forgot earlier because he was exploring and didn't come in till I was in the middle of packing. I'll probably go through my books later and see of there are any names that he likes."

_Well, that's better than I was hoping. I don't want some silly name like-_

"How about Silver!" The smaller boy cried out suddenly, holding his fork full of mashed potatoes up excitedly.

"That's a very good name Albus," Kurama tried not to growl. How was that a good name? "But we should let Teddy decide on the name since its his pet."

Kurama uttered a silent thanks to Inari as he finished off his food and left the dining area. He made his way up to the room Teddy was currently using, and walked over to the open suitcase.

The books he had stuffed in didn't look like they would have anything yokai related . . .

Maybe if he found a map, or atlas?

He left the room, following the smell of old paper and glue.

He soon found a study, that was probably the man's, Harry's, and looked around. There was a vase of lilies- this man apparently had a thing for them. The flowers were wilting slightly, so Kurama sent a wave of sympathetic yoki their direction, before examining the small library that was lined up neatly in a bookshelf by the wall behind the desk.

He didn't find anything in the book case that even resembled an atlas, although there was a book with straps round it that smelled like a feral animal.

He then jumped to the desk and examined the books that were strewn across it.

_Bingo, as Botan would say._ He thought triumphantly as his eyes caught sight of a book with maps lying open on the desk. There were bits of paper with arrows and jumbled writing on them stuck to the map that it was currently open to. Making note of the page number, he flipped through till he found Japan on the left, and then a closer up image.

_Now I just have to find Mt Kurama._ It didn't take him long, and he was just about to pick up the book via his canine teeth, when he heard the door squeak open.

Kurama turned cautiously as Harry entered the room, then stopped, apparently surprised that Kurama was there.

"Oh, what are you doing in here?" Kurama lowered his tails, and tried not to roll his eyes. It was like they expected an answer. Well, he could answer, of course, but that would probably get him kicked out as a potential threat, and he hadn't even been a pet for a day.

"Well, I don't really mind if you stay. Teddy's getting ready for bed. It's a bit early, but tomorrow's a big day." The man smiled softly, and walked over to sit himself at the desk Kurama was currently inhabiting. Kurama turned to face the man, pushing the atlas a bit farther behind him so that the man wouldn't be able to see it from behind his tails.

"I'm glad he enjoys school, but I really worry about him." Kurama cocked an eyebrow, and Harry adjusted his glasses.

"Great, now I'm confiding in a fox." He muttered, as said fox snorted in amusement. Humans could be so silly sometimes.

Harry looked down at him, his piercing green eyes searching the fox.

"Look, He's . . . because of me, he's a target, and I know all the teachers at Hogwarts will keep an eye on him . . . but if you understand me- well, just keep an eye on him. Please. I don't want something to happen to him because of me."

Kurama looked the man over, curious. Teddy was a target because of him? He didn't seem like the kind of person people would go after. He was confident, yes, and carried himself as if he had seen many battles, but otherwise, he was friendly, gentle, determined. Not someone who usually had people after him. Perhaps he had done something? Not something intentionally provoking, the man didn't seem like the kind of person who like a lot of attention.

_Well, if he's really that well known, I'll find out eventually. And the fact that Teddy is a target . . . it's disgusting that people would involve innocents . . . I shall enjoy taking care of any threats to the boy._

With that thought, Kurama nodded in understanding at Harry, then bent back, grabbed the book gently, making sure not to pierce the parchment with his sharp canines, before bolting for the door.

"Wha- hey! That's Hermione's! She'll kill me if that gets ripped! Come back, I need it for work!"

But Harry's protests were ignored, as Kurama easily slipped out of the study, down the hall, and into his cub's room.

Teddy was zipping up his trunk, and at the sound of the door being pushed open, he glanced up.

"Oh, your back. I wasn't sure where you went . . Where did you get that?" Kurama smirked as he set down the book, then leaned down and indicated a point on the map with his snout.

"Oh! I see, you picked out a name for yourself."

Teddy grinned, then bent down and squinted at the fine print.

"Mount Kurama? You want to be named after a mountain in Japan?"

Kurama nodded, and let his tails bounce up and down in agreement.

The boy chuckled in amusement at his actions, then shrugged.

"Well, I suppose it makes sense. That book said that kitsune are usually found in Japan. Is that where you from?"

Kurama nodded again.

"Wow, you're pretty far from home . . ." The boy looked at his tails.

"Are you really thousands of years old, like Aunt Hermione said? Or is that just a myth?"

Kurama gave the boy a grin and jumped onto the bed. It wouldn't do to give away all his secrets the first day now, would it?

Teddy sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, time for bed." Then he climbed up and pulled himself under the covers, and reached over, switching off the light on the bedside table.

"G'night," He muttered, before closing his eyes.

Kurama eyed the boy, then eyed the end of the bed.

He didn't particularly fancy the idea of sleeping at the foot of the bed. He was aware that some humans had tendencies to kick in their sleep, and besides, it was already a bit chilly in the room. He didn't want to wake to stiff and could limbs.

Well, the boy seemed not to mind physical contact . . . perhaps he could slip under the covers. Just for tonight.

Deciding that that was the best plan, he padded over to the head of the bed, then burrowed under the covers, his wet black nose first. When his cold snout hit the boys arm, he gave a small 'eep' and shivered in response, but Kurama kept moving forward, snaking up so that he was curled on top of the cub's chest. He curled into a tight ball, wrapping his tails around him, and wiggling slightly to adjust the boys shirt in a nest like manner.

They sat there a moment, then there was the soft sound of blankets moving, and Teddy's hand reached up and began stroking Kurama's soft silver fur.

The fox purred softly in response, and the two soon drifted off into a deep sleep.

A/N

This is the first story I have posted, so I hope you like it. Please tell me what you think in the comments!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I am neither Yoshihiro Togashi or JK Rowling.

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews for chapter one! They made me very happy, and I'm glad people seemed to like it so much, even if it was just the beginning. I'm going to try to update once a week, just so you know.

Please enjoy!

Chapter Two: The Hogwarts Express

Kurama looked around the busy train station from his high vantage point(a certain human cub's head), and tried to refrain from taking in too many of the smells. there was so much magic it was almost nauseating, and walking through that strange wall had already given him a head ache. Honestly, how these wizards could live with so much bound reiki around was a mystery to him, but he endured it. Hopefully the school would be better- although he somehow doubted it.

The humans had tried to get him into a cage, but he had managed to dodge all attempts to trap him, and they were so slow, he had easily avoided the spells sent his direction.

So, finally, the adults had given up, and Teddy (looking slightly pleased about the fact that his pet was quick witted enough to avoid capture) happily let the fox perch where he pleased.

There was so much noise, and so many colors, his heightened fox senses were being overwhelmed, so he buried his head in Teddy's hair, breathed deeply of lilies and wolf, and watched with fascination as the fine strands turned colors.

The boy's previously black hair with red streaks was beginning to go neon blue and pink in certain areas from excitement, and he also noticed a small amount of happy yellow and shocked white appear here and there.

Another child had come with them to the stop. She didn't smell altogether human, and her flowing red hair and natural feminine grace had Teddy turning slightly red round the edges. She was something called a 'first year,' and was apparently somehow related to Harry. (She called him 'Uncle 'Arry', with a bit of a French accent)

As Teddy and the girl said their goodbyes to Harry and the other children(with an especially long hug going to the small red headed girl called Rosie), Kurama watched Teddy's hair streak with sad blues and greys, and then they had walked onto the train, and Kurama sighed in relief. There wasn't half as much magic in the train as around it. Jumping down from Teddy's head, Kurama fell slightly behind Teddy, following at the cub's heels.

The boy seemed a bit disappointed when the girl split off, saying something about finding some girls her own age.

They made their way to another compartment with a girl and boy who were apparently friends with his 'owner.' Teddy was greeted with smiles, waves, and questions about his 'new pet.' Kurama flicked his tails about and smirked at their praising comments as the two settled themselves in the compartment. Teddy's friends seemed to like petting his soft fur, and he obligingly dropped his head low and forward so they could reach from their own seats to pet his ears and scratch him.

The fox wasn't really used to so much attention(not to mention physical contact), but he decided he didn't really mind all that much- besides, his cub seemed to like these two, so he would allow it.

These two also had animals with them(wizards, apparently, liked keeping magical animals around); both of them were owls. If he had been in his Youko form, he probably would have thought about eating them- in his fox form, they would be too big, and their feathers would be difficult to remove with no human shaped hands. Apparently, the birds sensed this, and kept their distance.

He soon found that the trip was much longer than he had first expected. He didn't really feel like exploring the train- it would just be students and the engine room, which probably contained a ridiculous amount of magic- so he took a nap in Teddy's lap. Perhaps it was a bit undignified, but he was playing pet, and besides, it was comfortable. The kit smelled welcoming to him, and he had already become used to the strong reiki presence the boy had.

Kurama was poked awake at around lunch time. He glared at the girl who had dared disturb his rest.

"Sorry, but it's time to eat lunch. Teddy didn't want to wake you, but you look like you could use a few good meals."

Kurama looked down at his chest, and huffed. The girl was right, of course. Being stuck in that cage for a week with only that weird, magically enhanced dog food that he had refused to eat had made him lose much too much weight. His fur hid this fact for the most part, but he knew that if were to change to either of his alternate forms, the lack of silken fur would reveal a loss of a great deal of hard earned muscle, and his ribs would most likely be poking out.

He jumped out of Teddy's lap, who had apparently ordered something from the cart. He went through the contents and wrinkled his nose at the assortment of food that was much to sweet for his fox tastes.

"What, you don't like any of it?" Teddy asked, looking rather disappointed.

"Here, my mum packed me some extra cornish pasties. This one's meat. Maybe he'll like it."

The mousy haired boy sitting across from Teddy held out a crescent shaped pastry that smelled strongly of beef.

Kurama jumped forward, grabbing the pastry as he flew through the air, landing beside the boy gracefully before gobbling it down and examining the remaining contents of his lunch.

"Here, this ones meat too." The boy said, indicating another one.

_Ah, the perks of being a pet. Everyone thinks it's cute when you eat their food and scraps._

"Dylan! Don't let him eat all you lunch! We won't be getting to Hogwarts until this evening!"

Dylan shrugged.

"Mum made me a big breakfast. Besides, she packs me these all the time. They get kind of old after awhile."

"Here," Teddy said, offering some of his own food. "I was going to let him have some of mine- that's why I ordered so much- but he doesn't seem to like any of it."

Dylan's mouth twisted into a smile.

"Only if you let me have a chocolate frog too. Those things are so cool! I wish they made them at muggle candy shops."

Teddy grinned back.

"Okay, but I get the card."

"Hey, but that's the best part!"

"My candy, my rules."

Teddy passed over some food with a playful grin and a wink as Kurama ate the last pasty(this one was fruit).

Belly bulging from being overfilled, Kurama collapsed where he sat, not bothering to move back to his owner. He quickly fell back asleep to the steady rhythm of the train, and didn't wake until they reached their destination several hours later.

The students had, some time during his nap, changed into a typical school uniform that was covered by a not so typical black robe.

Kurama noticed that Teddy and Dylan both had red and gold accents to their uniforms, while the girl had yellow and black. After they left their compartment, Kurama perched on a lofty shoulder, and noticed the other color separations. There were four altogether: red/gold, yellow/black, green/silver, and blue/grey.

All the students escorted themselves into carriages pulled by rather demented looking horses, except for the youngest, who all gathered round a tall, rough looking man who was bellowing 'first years!' at the top of his lungs.

After all the students had made their way out of the carriages, and into a large hallway, they sat around a table, and a grey haired woman stood and started speaking.

Kurama, deciding he didn't really want to listen to this, and was still full from his lunch so he had no need to wait for dinner- jumped down from Teddy's shoulder and slipped through a door in the back.

Time to explore.

The castle was incensed with magic. He noticed the paintings first. They moved, and even _talked._

And people thought that taking _photos_ stole a piece of the soul. Paintings, who would have thought? Then there were those demented stairs. He soon found that they didn't like staying still. Not to mention the extra room that appeared as whatever you needed it for. The only reason he had found it was by the incredibly strong magical scent. It was so concentrated it had given him a coughing fit, and left his sensitive nose and eyes stinging.

By the time he had explored the castle, darkness had fallen. He thought about finding Teddy, but decided against it. He had slept most of the train ride. Might as well be curious and explore while all the humans were sleeping.

So, he went outside. There was a rather temperamental tree that he quickly made friends with, as well as a small cottage and garden, that(according to his sense of smell) housed the man from earlier who had taken the first years. There was also a lake, which contained almost as much magic as the castle.

Then he found the forest.

It was beautiful.

As soon as he entered he could practically taste the life energy of the plants around him. He stood at the edge for a moment, letting his mouth hang open in appreciation, breathing deeply, letting the essence of it fill him, the taste of greenery tingling in the tip of his tongue. The scent of human was barely perceptible. It almost reminded him of the garden he kept in the Makai- though not as violent by far.

He trotted farther, and decided that if ever he needed a place for privacy, this was it.

And he transformed. It was like stretching after being trapped in one position for weeks, letting his hair grow out, the itching sensation of fur disappearing into pale skin, fingers pulling and lengthening.

And he was Youko once more.

He grinned like the feral animal he looked to be, and began to run. His feet skimmed atop the grass, leaving no trace of his passing. He let his Youki flow around him, leaving everything he touched sprouting and growing with new life. The experience was thrilling. Giving power to the plants, who in turn filled him with life. He pushed harder, faster, dodging trees (and rather surprised animals as well) with ease. He was sure he sprinted the entire forest at least twice before his lungs began to burn pleasantly, and feet began to wear thin. He let himself slow to a more human pace, and began to examine the forest.

It really was beautiful.

Leaves glowed silver in the moonlight. Flowers slept peacefully, waiting for the sun to wake them and pull out their colorful blooms. He began to drop his own seeds, giving them a little push. In this powerful forest, it was all that was needed. The forest took care of the rest.

He stopped in a small clearing and looked at the night sky that seemed incredibly bright to his Youko eyes, and let himself drift and stretch, the excess power of the plants filling him happily, willing to give.

"You!" Came a voice.

Youko turned and blinked. He hadn't smelled any humans, but a human voice had just called out to him. It came from behind the line of trees. He narrowed his eyes, only a fool would try to hide from him by standing behind trees.

"You don't smell human." He growled, the Youko's voice gravelly and low from disuse.

"Indeed I am not. But what are you? A creature that looks and smells both human and not. This is our forest. If your allegiance is to the humans, you are not welcome here. If you care not for them, you must ask permission from the elders before taking up residence here."

Kurama snorted. What prideful creatures had he encountered, that claimed ownership of a forest? Even he was not vain enough to do so. Forests, and especially this one because of its strength, belonged to themselves. He could control single plants, yes, but to command a whole forest was impossible, one must instead make an ally of it.

"Well, what a vain little creature I have found." He murmured, voice filled with disgust. He swept his arm grandly to the side, and the trees covering the creature pulled aside, happy to oblige to such a powerful presence.

It was revealed to be a half horse, half man. Centaur, he believed they were called.

"Horses were always too prideful for my taste." He said clearly, not bothering to look worried by the swiftly raised bow and arrow.

"How dare you address one of the Centaurs in such a manner!"

"How dare you intrude upon the Great Thief King Youko Kurama, one of the most powerful Kitsune alive, and servant of Inari? I should kill you where you stand for such disrespect."

Alright, he was laying it on a bit thick, but he had been practically smothered by humans for over a week. He needed a release, and fighting with such a prideful animal- while not much of a challenge- was as good an excuse to let go of his more playful side as any other.

The Centaur growled, and let loose an arrow. Kurama's arm blurred, and plucked the wooden shaft out of the air as easily as a slowly falling leaf.

"Too slow." He grinned playfully and examined the arrow. It was finely crafted, and he decided to keep it. Tucking it in his sash, he noticed the Centaur was backing away, while trying to knock back another arrow.

"No, no, no. It's rude to run away while we're in the middle of a game." He waggled his finger condescendingly, letting go of a breath of Youki and pushing the grass and vines on the ground until they burst upward, tangling around the creatures four powerful legs until he could no longer move.

Kurama gave a powerful jump, and easily landed on the horse-man's back, plucking the bow out of his hands.

The Centaur let loose an outraged cry, and attempted to buck him off, but his actions only served to tangle him further in the Youko's vines.

Kurama bent forward until his breath tickled the beast's neck.

"You are lucky I'm in such a good mood today, otherwise your herd would find only bloody pieces of your body strewn across the forest floor."

The Centaur quivered, and Kurama couldn't help but grin predatorily at the strong smell of fear and outrage that filled the air.

He jumped down, dropping the bow on the floor while sending another wave of youki at the plants below, trapping the beast further. The man-horse would never be able to get out by himself, and even with another assisting, the stubborn youki enforced grass and vines would be extremely difficult to cut through.

"Farewell," He called as he walked calmly away. "I hope you warn your friends about me. I will not be so hospitable next time."

A/N: I hope you liked it. The end was my favorite part, hah! Some centaurs can be so obnoxious sometimes . . .

Your reviews for chapter one were much appreciated, please tell me how you like chapter two!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Sorry, this is really short. Right now, while I'm sort of still introducing everything, it's going by day, and since there's no classes, there's not much going on. But, next chapter will be much longer, I promise. Oh, and thank you for the reviews, they are very encouraging.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Harry Potter

Chapter Three: Interlude

Classes didn't start until the next day, so Kurama found himself among a group of bored red and gold clad children, who were doing everything from playing an explosive card game(_literally_ explosive. Inari, these wizards were odd), to studying, to examining one another's 'Weazely's Wizard Weases' collections. He wasn't entirely sure what the last bit was about, but it seemed to have something to do with pranking, which was an art he could appreciate.

His students (Teddy and his friend Dylan) had started the day off after breakfast with a walk outside. Kurama, having already explored the night before, trailed along behind, not really paying attention.

That is, until they approached the cottage.

The large man from the night before opened the door as they got closer, and greetings were exchanged. The man invited them in for some tea and treacle tarts that he had 'jus' baked t'other night.'

The boys agreed, although they didn't really sound interested in the treacle, and Kurama followed, slipping through the door and resting on Teddy's foot after the boy had taken a seat. After a few moments of friendly conversation, he heard his name.

"Hagrid, I don't believe you've met Kurama." The fox rolled his eyes, and looked up. Really, did the boy have to go and introduce him to such a large man? It didn't make him feel comfortable when he was in his smallest form.

"Come on boy, up here." Teddy called while peaking under the table slightly, and reaching his arms down.

Ignoring the arms, Kurama jumped onto an empty chair, and looked over at 'Hagrid.'

The man's eyes lit up.

"Why! It's a kitsune! You di'n tell me you 'ad a fox spir't fer a familiar Teddy."

"I just got him. His name's Kurama."

Hagrid grinned, and gave a half bow from his seat.

"Tis a pleasure to meet you sir fox."

Kurama blinked.

_I don't think I've ever met someone who was that big _and_ polite as well. Most youkai that big are full of themselves._ He paused for a moment, then added,_ Humans as well._

Feeling pleased with the man's polite- if not slightly rough- words, he nodded regally in response.

"What a fine fox you are, if I may say so. That coat's quite rare I bet. Would you like some tea an' treacle?"

Preening under the compliments, Kurama nodded acceptance, and when a piece of the tart appeared on a plate before him, he leaned forward to take a bite of the stuff . . .

and promptly spat it back out.

Eyeing the amused faces of two young boys, he glared, and put both front paws on the table, bring his snout forward to the teacup that had also been placed for him.

The tea, at least, was decent- although tea was hard to mess up- and it washed away the awful aftertaste.

The boys chatted with Hagrid for a short time, then walked back up to their common room, where the fox found himself in his current predicament of antsy wizard children. Dylan was trying to set up some sort of structure with the exploding cards- which Kurama thought was rather dangerous, albeit slightly amusing- and Teddy was playing pantomime with a number of other students. He was rather good at it, considering he could change his coloring, as well as(Kurama only found this out from watching the game) change his bone structure.

The boy was currently morphing into a miniature version of his godfather.

"Harry Potter!" Came the cry from every student.

Kurama raised an eyebrow. It seemed that everyone knew who the man was. Strange. What had the man done that made him so well known to the wizards?

Teddy changed into another man, this one bald, with dark skin and slightly bulging eyes.

"Minister Shacklebolt!" One of the quicker students yelled, while the rest soon echoed.

The game continued, but Kurama ignored most of the names, just watching Teddy change. The other students didn't seem to have the same ability, but it was apparently normal that Teddy could do such a thing. Some sort of rare, wizarding ability, perhaps? That made the most sense, but it might also have been caused by some sort of strange spell, or possibly even demon heritage- his talent was, after all, very similar to Suzaku's(although this was doubtful- even if the wizards knew demons existed, it was unlikely they would be so lenient about them). Kurama shrugged. He was in no real hurry to find out, he had plenty of time to satisfy his curiosity.

After lunch, the day passed quickly, and it was once more dark. Kurama decided he would stay in the boy's dormitory, instead of sleeping elsewhere(it took him so long to even find his way back in the castle the night before that he had given up finding the rooms, and instead had fallen asleep in a small courtyard by a fountain in the grass, and then found the dining area to find Teddy at breakfast).

He walked over to the window closest to Teddy's bed, and examined the sill.

Jumping silently up and dropping a seed into a dirt filled crack, he grew a soft bed of Lamb's Ear. The fox lay down contentedly, growing a few extra leaves out and letting them cover him like a soft blanket.

A/N Again, sorry for the shortness. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N According to the internet, sunset in Scotland in September is at 8:07, so Astronomy will be held at 8:15. Although, now that I think about it, I'm kind of worrying too much about the details.

Disclaimer: I'm really not a very creative person, do you really think I could come up with all this by myself?

Oh, and thank you so much for the reviews! Reading them is what finally got me to post this. Please, enjoy!

Chapter 4: Classes Begin

Kurama was beginning to regret his decision to come to classes with Teddy.

He found this 'History of Magic' class _insanely_ boring, and that was saying something, considering that he had sat through kindergarten at the ripe age of three thousand.

The other students apparently found it almost as interesting as the fox did, because they were completely absorbed in anything other than their literally transparent teacher. Teddy was absentmindedly rubbing Kurama's ears and passing notes between Dylan and the girl who had been on the train with them. Her name was 'Meghan' he believed. The other students were involved in a wide variety of activities, anywhere from flicking folded triangular pieces of paper back and forth, to etching pictures into school property with inky quills. Kurama sighed, and hoped that Herbology, which had been listed as the next class, would be more interesting. Even if the class wasn't though, he could have some fun with the plants . . . Unless these idiot wizards taught without examples. Ugh, what a day this was going to be.

He noticed with amusement that about ten minutes before the class was scheduled to end, most of the students had begun to pack their bags.

Five minutes before, everyone had their bags pulled off the floor and into their laps, their legs tensing in anticipation and eyes looking longingly at the door. Kurama himself had crawled to the floor in preparation.

The moment the second hand hit the twelve mark, they were out the door and flooding down the hallway, completely missing the Professor's incomplete sentence.

Kurama dodged the small feet and tangle of black robes with only a bit of difficulty, following Teddy closely. Apparently most of the students who had sat through the last class had Herbology as well, because they were all heading in the same general direction.

When they arrived outside, and headed for green houses, Kurama couldn't help but grin. This would definitely not be as boring as the last class.

They soon arrived outside the third greenhouse, and a tall man with ear length curly brown hair and a few freckles on his nose and cheeks waved them inside, propping the door open for them.

Kurama followed Teddy in, until he arrived at the teacher. The man apparently hung around plants quite a bit- the man's aura practically radiated green. Approaching his feet cautiously, Kurama sniffed, and immediately decided he liked this teacher; the man's scent was a pleasant mixture of moss and herbal tea, laced with the barely perceptible after taste of aloe.

Deciding that he should introduce himself, he gave a gentle tug on the man's pant leg. The was a startled jump, and a quick step back, before the professor looked down, then sighed in relief.

"Oh, sorry about that, for a minute, I thought the Devil's Snare had got out again."

Kurama grinned. To think, the wizards kept Devil's Snare here. He was going to have fun collecting seeds.

"So, who do you belong to?"

Kurama glanced up at the man's face, then looked over at his boy deliberately.

"Ah, Teddy. Harry mentioned his owl had gotten sick and was going to stay with Andromeda during the school year. I guess you're the replacement, then?"

Kurama snorted indignantly.

"Of course, right. Sorry, I'm Professor Neville Longbottom, pleased to meet you."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. 'Longbottom?' He couldn't help but let out a small canine snicker. Neville frowned.

"Oh, come on, it's not that funny."

By this time, the entire class had entered the room, and the few that were paying attention to their unfortunately name professor were snickering in a good humored way.

The Professor rolled his eyes, but grinned good-naturedly and walked to the front of the class, Kurama close at his heels.

He settled himself at the front, and Kurama sat on top of his feet- the fox was rather enjoying himself while playing the unintelligent animal. Neville then addressed the class.

"I've ordered your puffapods this year, but they won't be coming till next month. So instead, we're going to do a bit of review. I know most of you just came from Professor Binn's class, so instead of reading out of the book, I decided we would trim the Abyssnian Shrivelfig Shrubs today- which you _should_ remember from last year."

The students quickly set about trimming the odd looking plants with purple, very dry looking pear shaped fruit on them. Kurama reached out a tendril of reiki curiously, investigating this new fruit's properties, and quickly decided that he would definitely _not_ be using this plant. He didn't need to be any smaller than he was now in his fox form, thank you very much.

He instead decided that he would stay on Neville's feet and watch the rest of class- and would explore the rest of the plants later. He did have all year after all. Besides, it was a bit amusing sitting there, because the Professor seemed to be trying to get him to move. Kurama stayed firmly on his feet, grinning a bit. Finally, Neville bent down and looked the fox in the eye.

"Look, I've got to walk around and check on the students. Could you, uh, perch somewhere else, maybe?"

The fox grinned, and jumped promptly onto the man's head.

"Wah?" He yelped, stepping back and up, bringing Kurama to a new, and slightly dizzying height. Quite a few students turned round and smiled knowingly- many of them recognized the position that Kurama had shown to favor on Teddy.

_He's quite tall, I'll have to be careful when I jump down._

Neville, as promised, walked around the class, keeping his neck stiff- probably for fear of dumping the fox off.

When they reached Teddy, Kurama peeked over the nest of soft curly hair and watched his cub cut the ends of the plant by aiming his wand carefully and saying 'Diffindo.'

Kurama was quite interested by this. He had not actually seen anyone _do_ magic up until this point. There had been magical items, and the green portal in the fireplace, but this was his first exposure. He squinted his golden eyes, and watched as a small amount of the boy's reiki snaked down his arm, and through the wand. When it reached the wand, it changed colors- from Teddy's natural purple and blue color, to a silvery red- and then it wrapped around the branch it had been directed at and made a clean cut.

It was fascinating to say the least. To think that humans had found a way to change the basic nature of their reiki so that they could perform almost any type of task. And it seemed very efficient as well. It would take quite a bit of these 'spells' before they would feel it.

The rest of the class passed quickly, and soon it was lunch time. Kurama managed to make his way down from the tall professor's head by way of the desks. Trailing along behind his owner, they quickly managed to make it to the Great Hall. Teddy and Dylan split apart from Meghan at the far right table with the rest of the red and gold students. Kurama, deciding he didn't feel like sitting under the table for the entire meal, sat between the boys. The rest of the students seemed delighted at his meal time participation, and soon he had a donated napkin, and people were passing him all sorts of pieces of food. Victoire- who was sitting opposite them- had even taken to cutting up pieces of her meat and tossing them across the table. He had quite a bit of fun jumping up and to the side, snapping his jaws round the morsels- that is, until several stern gazes were directed towards them, and Victoire blushed cutely and stopped. Nonetheless, the meal was very enjoyable, and a very full fox, along with the satisfied students, made their way to the 'Common Room.'

According to the student's conversations, they had no more classes until night, in which they would have Astronomy.

Kurama sat on the bed that Teddy, Dylan, and another boy named Fergus were currently occupying, and half listened to there conversation.

"So, what classes did you have today?" That was Fergus. He spoke with a slightly strange accent. Kurama wasn't an expert when it came to English, but he was pretty sure it was called 'Scottish.'

"Well, we had History of Magic." Sighed Dylan, and Fergus grinned knowingly.

"Catch up on lost sleep?"

"No, but we did have a nice conversation with Megs about what spells would be best to use if we ever got stuck in the Forbidden Forest."

"Where did that topic come from?"

This time Teddy answered.

"She said that she had gotten up early this morning to see Hagrid, and he mentioned that some sort of creature had scared the Centaurs."

Fergus' eyes widened.

"Scared off the Centaurs?! If Acromantula don't bother them, what in the world could it be?"

Teddy shrugged, apparently not as concerned as his two friends.

"I don't know. She said that Hagrid said he was going to look into it. I don't think he'll find anything though. Harry said that the Centaurs don't really like humans- except Firenze- and that every time he went in there, they pretty much tried to kick him, and everyone else out." He paused, then smirked slightly. "Like Professor Umbridge."

Fergus immediately leaned in, and Dylan looked interested.

"Has he told you about the Battle at the Department of Mysteries? My dad said nobody ever really found out what happened there, but that he said Voldemort was there, and he and Dumbledore and Harry had a battle."

Teddy bit his lip, then smiled a little.

"Well . . . I guess he wouldn't mind if I did. It all started with Umbridge- you know that though." The two boys nodded.

"Anyway . . ."

Kurama listened to the story carefully. Now _this_ was definitely a reason for Harry to be well known. A few key bits of information were left out, like who exactly 'Voldemort' and 'Dumbledore' were, and what a floo was, but he filled in the blanks with context. Voldemort was obviously the 'bad guy,' and Dumbledore the 'good guy,' as well as an ally to Harry. But apparently, this was quite some time ago, because it appeared that Harry, along with the people who had gone with him, were all students. He did find out what the winged dark horses were that had pulled the carriages. What a fascinating creature, to only be visible to those who had seen death. It sounded like something the reikai would use. He absentmindedly pictured Botan riding on the grim looking horse, and couldn't help but grin at the image. He would almost pay to see that.

The ending to the story was not a good one. It seemed that even though the 'Order of the Phoenix' people had arrived in time to help, the whole reason they were there- to save 'Sirius'- was forfeit, and Voldemort, along with many of the 'Death Eaters' (what a ridiculous name), had escaped.

The boys looked at each other solemnly when the story ended, and Dylan gave a little sigh.

"I'm really glad Harry finally defeated him. My parents weren't a part of the war like you guys' were, but from all the books and stories, well, it would have been horrible if . . . you know . . ."

He drifted off, looking down at the red comforter.

"Yeah, I know. I'm glad they won too."

_So, he defeated 'Voldemort' . . . but he was just a student? Why would a student have to defeat an evil wizard. Couldn't this 'Dumbledore' have done it?_

He paused, and suddenly Yuusuke came to mind. He had just been fourteen when he became Spirit Detective, and Kuwabara as well. Kurama had been young physically too, but that didn't count for much when you had powerful youki and over three thousand years worth of memories.

The boys meandered off soon after, Fergus to do homework- he was apparently older, and therefore had more to do- while Teddy and Dylan went over their schedule for the next week.

"Let's see . . . Tomorrow we've got potions, Divination, and Care of Magical Creatures."

"Uhm, actually, I have Arithmancy instead of Divination."

"What? Why'd you pick that? It sounds like Arithmatic- that is to say, it sounds hard."

"Well, I would have, but Aunt Hermione wouldn't let me pick it, and Harry said he wasn't willing to risk 'The wrath of 'Mione' for me."

"Well, I'm sure it's not that bad. Well, Divination should be interesting. I've heard that Trelawney's batty."

"Yeah, but she does some real prophecies too, remember?"

"Yeah, I know. You're the one who made me read the article about her in the Quibbler."

"So, what do you have Wednesday?"

The conversation carried on like that for quite a while, until the two had talked through both their schedules and then some. They finally stopped when a few of the others came up and started getting ready for dinner.

Kurama decided to stay behind for this meal. As Shuichi Minamino, he had grown used to regular meals, but when he had returned to Makai, he had easily fallen back into the habit of eating less frequently. Usually he would just eat in the morning, and not waste the rest of the day with food gathering. This was in part because it was easier, but also because as a fox, he did not need to eat so many meals. He decided he would spend the time wandering around again- although he would stay in the red and gold house.

He found several other rooms on the boys side, presumably for the different ages, as well as the bathrooms and showers. He then entered the Common Room, which was much more pleasant when it wasn't full of noisy children blowing up cards and throwing books around- not that he had a problem with children, but they could be quite troublesome _en masse._

He then explored the girl's dorm. It was nicer than theirs- and neater too. Even though it was only the second day, the boys had already managed to accumulate an unhealthy amount of mess, which Kurama was afraid was only going to get worse. Teddy's space wasn't to bad for the most part, although his boy _had_ managed to get his papers strewn across the bed while he and Dylan had been looking over schedules.

The girls bathrooms were also in much better shape than the boys were, and it was filled with the pleasant smell of roses along with the tang of soap. It was a nice contrast from the boy's mildew and hot water smell.

Just as he entered the Common Room again, he heard a sharp crack. He turned sharply, in time to see a small brownish imp like creature begin to hop about the room, tidying up the tables and picking up scraps of paper.

He raised an eyebrow. It looked like a low class demon . . . and felt like one too, although the youki seemed to center around the creatures fingers, instead of concentrated in the core like most.

He padded over to the creature, and gave a low growl, tensing slightly. It seemed to have no harmful intentions- unless one felt that cleaning up after students was harmful- but it was a low class demon. They could be unpredictable, depending on their master.

The small demon jumped and turned.

"Oh dears! Yous is scaring Bellls! Bells didn't know anyones was still here! Alls the others' animals stays other places."

Kurama paused for a moment, eyeing the creature's concerned face. He needed to figure out why it was here, and to do that he would have to speak.

Usually he kept his youki concealed, but the low class should have been able to recognize him for what he was. That meant that it probably wasn't very bright.

He released some of his youki and bared his teeth. The demon responded immediately with a squeak and a quick jump back.

"You! Yous is a demon! Nos! You can'ts be heres! Heres is no demons allowed!"

"Then how do you come to be here?" He asked, flicking his tails in a show of irritation.

The little thing blanched and looked down ashamedly.

"Tis true that we is used to be demons, but nots anymores!" It snapped its head up, its ears quivering furiously.

"We is servings only the humans nows! They is our masters! We is only House Elves now, and we is helping them and doings good!"

Kurama huffed.

"So, you have denied your demon heritage in order to serve the humans. No wonder you are so weak."

"Yes!"

Kurama blinked. It seemed proud. Strange. Well, it didn't look like he would provoke it with words, and he didn't really want to start a fight in the student's Common Room. He didn't know when they would get back, and he didn't think a 'pet' fighting a 'House Elf' would go over well.

"Very well. Tell me, are your intentions regarding the humans only to serve?"

"Yes! We dos everythings they tells us tos! And ifs we don't, we is punishings ourselves!"

"How many of you are there?"

The House Elf sniffed and turned up its prominent nose.

"I is not telling you! That is classifieds information."

Kurama regarded it for a moment.

"What if I promised that my intentions were only to protect the students from any threats?"

The creature's eyes grew to a monumental size.

"Why would yous do that? Others is tellings me that we is the only demons who is nice to humans."

"One of the human cubs saved me from captivity. I owe him. I am pretending to be his pet."

The little elf grinned and clapped her hands.

"That is very goods! We always is wanting others to be nice to humans toos! Don't worry! I is telling the others abouts you, and we is keeping your secret! There is lots and lots of us at Hogwarts! If yous is ever needing me, my name is Bells. We is all coming when our names is called."

Kurama nodded.

"Thank you, I will do so."

With another crack, Bells disappeared, and Kurama was once more alone in the Common Room. He walked over to the spot where Bells had been standing, and took a sniff. The scent of youkai wasn't very strong- it actually smelled more like . . . a kitchen? Odd, but he supposed that if they really were servants to the humans, then they would cook the meals. It would explain why all the food spontaneously appeared on the table. He had assumed the wizards had enchanted the food dishes somehow, but this made more sense.

Next he examined the trail of youki the House Elf had left behind when it disappeared. It felt similar to the fireplace portal. Apparently these little demons had picked up some talents from the wizards.

The students soon returned, and began getting ready for their final class. Astronomy didn't start till nightfall, but Teddy and Dylan left early. He trailed behind them curiously, until they reached a curving set of steps. The fox grimaced at the strong smell of bird and old feathers that was coming from ahead of them. Apparently, they were planning on sending a letter.

Personally, the fox thought that the wizards mail system was a bit ridiculous. He had found out about it this morning while laying under the table. Dozens of birds had suddenly flapped noisily into the hall, dropping packages and letters all over the place. It had been a great show of self control not to kill a particularly idiotic one that had dropped its letter on the ground near him, and had hopped over to pick it up.

The only thing that had stopped him was the fact that it had been very skinny, and looked overworked, and therefore would not have made a very satisfactory meal. (Besides, feathers were very hard to deal with. He always managed to get some stuck in his teeth.)

The two boys made it to the top, only slightly gasping for breath, with a very discontent fox in tow.

Teddy pulled out two letters, and called down a ruffled looking bird with brown and grey speckled wings. It eyed the fox wearily, until Teddy began petting it kindly and fed it a few scraps from dinner.

Kurama sniffed from the attention the spoiled little bird was getting, and trotted over to the window.

"Here, I've got two letters. This one is for Harry Potter, and this one is for Andromeda Tonks. Can you manage them both?"

The bird cooed indignantly, and Kurama glared at it.

"Thanks, if you bring a reply, I have some owl treats saved for you."

The bird took off with a hoot, and Kurama watched it carefully as it exited through the window.

Dylan called down another owl for himself.

"Here, I've got a letter for Jane and Russel Derwent."

The owl gave a glance to Teddy, then looked pitifully at the other boy. Teddy grinned.

"I've got some for you too. But only if there's a reply."

The owl nodded and took off, obviously very pleased that it had managed to get a treat out of the deal. The three exited the room and walked casually out, heading in the general direction of the Astronomy Tower.

A/N So, sorry it took this long to update. I don't really have a legitimate excuse. I was going to make this chapter longer, but I don't thing I could have taken writing them sitting through Astronomy. And, this story _will_ have a plot and all that, but right now, I'm still setting the story up, so, enjoy Kurama being lazy, 'cuz he'll be pretty busy later on.


	5. Chapter 5

AN Alright, I am so sorry for taking so long to write this. It's totally Vathara's fault. I read Embers, and then I got obsessive about ATLA, and then was attacked by a veritable army of plot bunnies. Ugh. It was hard to inspire myself for the next chapter of this fic. Also, I had final exams, and I was trying to get a job.

Oh yeah, that reminds me . . . I got a job!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Harry Potter. I really wish I did sometimes, though.

Enjoy!

Chapter 5: A Change in Perspective

"Ginny, have you seen my spello-tape anywhere?"

Harry watched fondly as his wife's bright red head peeked out from behind the kitchen door and she made a face at him for interrupting her cooking.

"Check your desk, bottom left drawer, underneath the invisible ink and your extra set of glasses."

"Already looked there." He said, almost apologetically. She huffed at him and tried again.

"The crib?"

"Got that too."

"Under your desk."

"Yep."

"How about behind the bookcase?"

"Yes, and before you ask, I _did_ try an accio- it didn't work, must be stuck on something."

Ginny snorted and finally came all the way out of the kitchen, spoon in hand, with her wand stuck in a mass of red hair that he guessed was supposed to be a bun.

"The great Harry Potter, savior of the wizard world, can't find a roll of spello-tape?" Harry grinned sheepishly and shrugged. She looked him over critically, then gave him a wicked grin before walking over and running her hands through his pockets.

He blinked as she produced the small roll of the transparent tape he had been searching for.

"Oops, heh, no wonder accio didn't work, I already had it."

"Yeah, oops, he says." She thunked him on the head with her spoon 'gently.' "If the soup burns its your fault."

"That only took a few seconds." He paused, then reached a hand up into his thick black hair. "And now I need to go rinse my hair out!" He cried in mock indignation.

"Oh, you're such a baby."

He started down the hall and into the bathroom, but paused when he heard an urgent rustling noise. He frowned. It . . . sounded like it was coming from the window.

Green eyes narrowed as he unconsciously reached for his wand. He walked quietly over, until he was facing the curtained window.

He took a calming breath and held up his wand, then yanked back the thin layered material.

He swallowed at the sight that met him.

It was a small creature, about the size of a house elf. It was was blue grey color, with small slanted eyes that led into a beak like nose. It had feathery grey hair, with two horns sticking out near the front. Its claw like hands and feet were flailing helplessly, as it struggled to remove itself from several pale vines Harry didn't remember being there from the last time he looked out the window.

_A demon._ His eyes flicked back and forth, examining the rest of what was visible from behind the spell reinforced glass.

_How did it find us?_

Harry swallowed. He didn't want to take his eyes off of it, but he also had to warn Ginny.

He sent a well practiced patronus, his gaze not faltering for even a moment as silvery light left his peripheral vision. Seconds later, his wife was at the door.

"What is it?" She whispered. He nodded toward the window, and heard a sharp intake of breath as she saw what he was so worried about.

"Are there any more?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen any, but the last few times, there's been at least twenty."

"So, you think it's trying to get us to open the window- but we can't just leave it there, it might hurt the neighbors." Harry nodded.

"On the count of three then."

"One." They both raised there wands, preparing several spells in advance.

"Two." Ginny shut the bathroom door.

"Three!"

Harry flung open the window and let loose three knockout spells one after the other. They had learned early on that it took a lot more spell power to take down a demon. They were similar to giants in that regard.

The small thing twitched, then dropped its arms.

All was quiet.

Harry flicked his eyes towards Ginny, then took a tentative step forward. Another. And finally, he stuck his head out the window, sweeping his gaze across the yard, looking for signs of any others.

"Nothing." He muttered as he pulled his head back inside and looked down at the demon.

Ginny sighed in relief and dropped her arm, but kept a firm grip on her wand, just in case.

"I'll call Hermione, after we hear what she says, we'll get the ministry over here."

Ginny nodded. "You've got your mirror?"

"Yeah. I'll stay here and make sure it doesn't do anything." He lifted his head and sniffed the air. "Is something burning?" Ginny blinked, her eyes widened, and she growled and pulled open the door.

"Oh, great just- ugh, stupid demon interrupting. . " He heard her muttering to herself as she rushed to the kitchen to try and save dinner.

Hermione arrived just minutes after he called, pulling Ron in behind her.

"Hello Harry." His best friend said cheerfully, as Hermione completely ignored everyone and everything but the little creature still entangled in the vines (and quite a bit of rope, thanks to Harry's incarcerous).

"Hey Ron." He said, in a not so cheerful tone. He was watching Hermione mutter and wave her wand in small, specific shapes that only she knew the purpose of.

They stood there for quite a bit, waiting, until Hermione finally looked up.

"I don't think it's here because of you."

Harry blinked.

"What?"

She sighed and pushed a frizzed strand of brown behind her ear.

"Remember when I first started researching demons, and I told you that they were attracted to people or objects with a strong magical aura?"

"Uh . . " Ron began, that old look on his face that meant he hadn't a clue what they were talking about- which, in turn, meant Hermione would give them all an extensive recap that they didn't have time for.

"Yes." Harry cut in quickly, in an attempt to keep them on track. They didn't need to get stuck on that particular tangent _again._

"Well, we thought Grimmauld Place would be alright, because the Fidelius keeps its magical aura completely hidden, but somehow, these plants absorbed someone's magical energy and attracted this," she pointed at the demon. "It was probably just looking for a snack, not searching for wizards, or you." Harry frowned, and stepped forward, eyeing the greenery.

"So, the plant absorbed some magical energy by accident, lured the demon here, and then the demon got stuck in it?"

"Something like that." She sighed and turned to the plant. "Watch this." She stuck pulled her magic mirror out of her pocket, and carefully began to inch it toward the plant. When it got within about a half a foot of the leaves, thin vine like roots shot out of the soil in the window box and grabbed the mirror. Hermione pulled her hand back sharply as the roots pulled the mirror tighter and tighter, until it shattered.

"That's seven years of bad luck, Hermione." Ron muttered, and she rolled her eyes. "So, do you get it?"

Harry frowned, and Hermione gave a small sigh.

"Look how violent it's acting. Even a plant enhanced by normal magical means wouldn't act like that around a simple mirror."

"So, the plant absorbed . . . a negative magical energy? Something dark?" Ron turned toward him. "Harry, is there something you need to tell us?"

"I haven't brought anything home from the office, and Ginny and I would never-" Hermione gave them both an exaggerated look of exasperation and interrupted.

"Think, Harry. Something with a magical aura- possibly a negative one- that came to your house recently." Harry paused.

"Well, there was Teddy, and . . . Oh. Kurama."

"I'm assuming that 'Kurama' is the name Teddy picked out for his kitsune?"

"Yeah." Harry said, and swallowed. This was _not_ good. "So, it _was_ a trap. Oh bloody- and I was the one who said it was okay. What was I thinking?" He ran a hand through his hair- and realized that the bits of splattered soup had turned into a crusty brown residue.

"We have to tell McGon-"

"Wait, Harry. Calm down."

"Calm down? Teddy's running around with a demon that's trying to lead _more_ demons to us, and you want me to calm down?!"

"Yes. And if you'd just let me explain, I'll tell you why." Harry took a deep breath.

"Okay, tell me."

"Alright, first. This plant isn't just any weed. It's a carnivorous plant, most likely from Africa or South America. Which means Kurama planted it here on purpose."

"And how, exactly, is that a good thing?" He didn't even bother asking how she had figured all that out.

"It's a good thing because, it's _supposed_ to capture demons." Harry frowned.

"What?"

"It's got some sort of trigger in it. It can pick up anything with a stronger than normal magical aura, and then capture it. Also, I have a theory, come here Harry." Harry stepped forward, and before he could do anything, she had grabbed his arm and shoved it out the window and toward the plant.

"What'd you do that for?" He yelped, struggling to pull his arm away from the _carnivorous plant._

"Look, it's not doing anything." He paused, and looked. Sure enough, the plant wasn't responding at all.

"So . . .it doesn't respond to people."

"Nope." She moved Harry's arm out of the way, then pushed her arm forward. The little roots shot out again, and Hermione just barely got her arm out of reach in time.

She grinned. "It _recognizes_ you Harry- and I'll bet it will recognize Ginny too. In fact, I'll bet it won't react to anyone who was around while Kurama was here." Harry's mouth opened slightly and he adjusted his glasses.

"That means, it's for protection."

"Exactly! It's amazing, like a security system- I wonder if he can tell when it captures something . . ."

Ron scratched his head. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well," Hermione grimaced. "I'm not sure . . . but I think if we just leave the demon here, the plant will eat it. I checked, it's not a very high class- which means it's not very intelligent. Also, I don't think the plant's aura is strong enough to attract anything any stronger." She glanced at Harry. "In fact, I believe the plant might have just projected a stronger aura to attract some food because it was hungry."

Ron blanched slightly, and Harry grimaced.

"So, you're saying that if we don't get rid of this thing, it will attract more demons and . . . eat them."

"Yes, but I think it would be a good idea to keep it around. If the demons who are looking for you _do _find out where you live, these plants will give you some extra time, and take out quite a few for you."

Harry frowned at that. "What do you mean by 'these,' Hermione?"

"Well, I checked. Teddy's fox was very busy while he was here. There's one at every window, and about five at the door."

Harry coughed. "He _was_ busy." _How did I not notice this?_

He looked at his two friends, and thought through everything Hermione had just told him.

"Well, I guess this means we won't need to call the ministry here." He muttered. That was nice- the last thing he wanted was to have a bunch of ministry officials running around his house. Not to mention reporters using the incident as an excuse to invade his home. "Would you two like to stay for dinner?" There was a pause, during which Ron gave Hermione a pleading look, Hermione glared in an annoyed yet slightly amused manner, then rolled her eyes. She turned to Harry and gave him a smile.

"We'd love to stay for dinner." She paused, and glanced at Ron.

"You _did_ call someone to stay with Rosie and Hugo, didn't you?" Ron paled slightly.

"Ehr . . . I think so?"

A/N If you're wondering why Ginny closed the bathroom door- they thought there might be more, and their three kids were home (presumably upstairs and away from danger)

So . . . there have been demon attacks on Harry, and possibly other members of the wizarding world. Dun dun dun! What shall happen next? Will we find out why? And is there someone orchestrating these attacks? The plot thickens! (okay, so there's still not much of one yet, but we're getting there, and it's only, like the second week.)

On a side note, reviews make me feel guilty when I'm not writing, and elated when I am writing, which is why you guys should post more. XP


End file.
